"The top-rated power forward in the class of 2007 (Michael Beasley) says he'll play his college ball at Kansas State. The Web site GoPowercat.com reported Friday that Michael Beasley of Mouth of Wilson, Va., ranked as the No. 4 overall recruit in his class by Rivals.com, made his commitment to the Wildcats and new coach Bob Huggins. "I just had a great opportunity to play for one of the best coaches in the history of college basketball and make some history there myself," Beasley told GoPowercat.com. "Hopefully we can all take K-State to the Final Four, or even further." Topeka Capital Journal

"Beasley has formed friendships with the top two players in the Rivals rankings for the class of 2007, Cincinnati high school teammates O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker. Huggins is recruiting both, and Beasley said, "I can't really speak too much on them. I'd just love to have them end up here with me. They are definitely great friends. I hope to have them there with me. If they aren't there, I guess that would be their loss." Topeka Capital Journal

TheGame414

06-26-2006 01:14 PM

It'll be fun watching Huggins and Self outbid each other.

With those two both there, that whole state needs a bath.

Kickball

06-26-2006 02:46 PM

Beasley is in limbo due to the USA U-18 trials. He is torn over his verbal to Huggins since being able to play with potential team mates. Why would anyone think that a verbal to Huggins is set in stone?

ThaKing

06-26-2006 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGame414

It'll be fun watching Huggins and Self outbid each other.

With those two both there, that whole state needs a bath.

You weren't saying that when Self was at Illinois. There is no reason to mention Self in the same breath as Huggins when it comes to recruiting violations or whatever.

I don't care how Self gets the players he does but the old saying goes innocent untill proven guilty and Huggins has been proven guilty, again and again.

Once again words of obvious jealousy. Get over it.

TheGame414

06-26-2006 09:36 PM

Quote:

You weren't saying that when Self was at Illinois.

Not publicly.

But I knew what was up.

Quote:

I don't care how Self gets the players

Well, that's kinda sad.

Quote:

Once again words of obvious jealousy. Get over it.

When the next NCAA tournament comes around, it will have been three years since Kansas knew what the 2nd round of the tournament was like.

That sentence alone negates any claims of jealosy.

shawnkempslovechild

06-27-2006 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaKing

You weren't saying that when Self was at Illinois. There is no reason to mention Self in the same breath as Huggins when it comes to recruiting violations or whatever.

I don't care how Self gets the players he does but the old saying goes innocent untill proven guilty and Huggins has been proven guilty, again and again.

Once again words of obvious jealousy. Get over it.

Self did not have Kurtis townsend on his staff at illinois. He is the shadiest asst coach there is.

Let me tell you a story that includes a successful high school basketball program, six highly touted high school players and a vagabond college assistant coach. The story takes place in the sordid world we know as college basketball.

First, let me tell you the facts surrounding the story. Over the past six years, this high school has had six high-level Division I basketball recruits. One of the six signed a letter of intent to play football. However, the other five spanned the country to play college hoops.

Player A moved 2,310 miles away from his hometown. The move didn't go well. His college career was littered with infractions and controversy. His stay in college lasted just one year after two suspensions and his advisers' attempt to conceal his identity while securing loans for the player.

Players B and C both went 1,110 miles away from home to a program with a limited amount of college basketball history.

Player D originally committed the winter of his junior year to the same school as players B and C. Then he reneged on that commitment and switched to a school 3,300 miles away from home with no basketball heritage. He changed his mind again and signed with a school nearly 2,000 miles from home.

Lastly, Player E is still in high school and is scheduled to visit the same school Player D recently decided to attend.

The key figure in this story is a college assistant coach. What is remarkable is that all of these players followed this man no matter where he was coaching.

The assistant coach is Kurtis Townsend. Townsend started his college coaching career at the University of California under Todd Bozeman. Townsend coached at California from 1993 to 1997.

During that period, the NCAA conducted three investigations of the University of California. One investigation surrounded Townsend's recruitment of Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Another focused on Townsend recruit Tremaine Fowlkes and resulted in a 12-game suspension because Fowlkes received a loan to purchase a car.

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The third investigation was the doozy. According to Jelani Gardner's father, he was promised $15,000 a year for his son to play for the Golden Bears.

The result was Bozeman receiving an eight-year suspension from the NCAA and a three-year probation for the school.

From California, Townsend went to Eastern Kentucky, where he worked under Scott Perry. Perry was an assistant coach at the University of Michigan under Steve Fisher when Chris Webber, Robert Traylor and others were involved in a payment from boosters scheme that resulted in erasing the Fab Four years from the record books.

Michigan was Townsend's next stop. It was at Michigan that Townsend made his first connection with the aforementioned high school and its six high-level Division I basketball players.

The high school is Rainier Beach in Seattle.

Player A is Jamal Crawford. Crawford's recruitment left him suspended twice. Barry Henthorn attempted to conceal Crawford's identity while securing loans for him. According to published reports, Henthorn met with Townsend during the recruitment of Crawford.

Townsend left Michigan after the 2001 season and moved to USC. Soon after, he successfully recruited Rainier Beach's Stewart twins. Lodrick and Rodrick Stewart are Players B and C. Townsend was now 3-for-3.

It was during Townsend's stay at USC that he made contact with Player D, C.J. Giles. Giles committed to USC to play for Henry Bibby and Townsend.

However, Townsend left USC for Miami. Giles reneged on his commitment to USC and signed with Miami.

In March, Townsend and Miami head coach Perry Clark were fired. Giles promptly wanted out of his letter of intent.

After visiting the University of Washington and the University of Kansas, Giles decided to attend Kansas. Monday, Kansas hired Townsend. Giles had now traveled the country to stay with his man. Townsend is 4-for-4.

Player E is Terrance Williams, who is finishing his junior year at Rainier Beach. Williams is scheduled to visit Townsend and Kansas Monday through Wednesday. Williams calls Kansas his No. 1 choice. It looks as though Townsend goes 5-for-5.

That is the story. All of Rainier Beach's highly touted Division I prospects have followed the same man across the country no matter what school he is at. The only one not to follow is Nate Robinson, who signed a football scholarship with the University of Washington.

Now it is time for you to decide: Is it a happy story or a dirty story? Is Townsend so remarkably good with the kids that Crawford told the Stewart twins they had to play for him at USC? Did the Stewart twins tell the same to Giles? Is he so charismatic that Giles was willing to follow him to three different schools?

Or does it reek? Is this the grubby world of college basketball where AAU coaches, high school coaches and high school athletic directors are funneling kids to one coach who is in turn scratching their backs? Or is this an assistant coach whose recruiting pitch is so good players can't resist going wherever he is calling from?

There are no answers, only room for you to decide, and to watch what happens with Player E.

shawnkempslovechild

06-27-2006 01:54 AM

Player E did not go to kansas, he went to louisville

TheGame414

06-27-2006 02:07 AM

Quote:

Self did not have Kurtis townsend on his staff at illinois. He is the shadiest asst coach there is.

True, but he did have Billie Gillespie. Now, who learned what from who, between Self and Gillespie.........who knows.

Even though I knew Gillespie was a dirty motherf-cker, I still liked him, until I heard stories about what a creep he was aside from basketball. And that's all I'll say.

shawnkempslovechild

06-27-2006 02:11 AM

I assume you live in chapaigne. College towns is where you get all the dirt.

TheGame414

06-27-2006 03:42 AM

Yep, lived in Champaign my whole life. And you're right....you learn things. Especially when you know people in the athletic department.

(Though actually, the stuff I've been told about Gillespie came from a totally random source.)

shawnkempslovechild

06-29-2006 01:05 AM

Whos new favorite team is the jazz?

My guess is if you grew up in champaign you have to be pretty happy.

Al Thorton

01-28-2014 05:28 AM

Re: Mike Beasley to Kansas State

I hope he goes to Miami to play with D-Wade. Clearly gonna be rookie of the year and a perennial all star

JtotheIzzo

01-28-2014 05:30 AM

Re: Mike Beasley to Kansas State

discussions used to be so civilized.

CeilingFan#1

01-28-2014 07:45 AM

Re: Mike Beasley to Kansas State

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al Thorton

I hope he goes to Miami to play with D-Wade. Clearly gonna be rookie of the year and a perennial all star